Forty-five members of staff from Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LPFT) and Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust (LCHS) – myself included – took on the gruelling Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge to raise money for Lincolnshire NHS Charity.
The Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge is a 24-mile round trip route and includes 5,200 feet of ascent- with an aim to complete in under 12 hours. It takes on the peaks of Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough. These hills form part of the Pennine range and encircle the head of the valley of the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
My experience was a challenge physically as I'm certainly not the fittest person - but as Chief Executive I wanted to do my part. It was a great day- the team camaraderie was amazing as we all struggled at different sections. Some people found it harder on the ascents and others on the descents. Along the way we shared good company, snacks and blister plasters!
It was a hot day so keeping hydrated was a challenge. Unfortunately, I got a knee injury on the descent of Whernside which really slowed me down. There was no way I could have completed the journey in the target 12 hours, and I didn't want to hold anyone back, so I ended my journey there. I still managed 18 miles and two mountains in nine hours, so I feel proud of my achievement.
Lincolnshire NHS Charity plays a vital role in helping our services to pay for those little extras that can help to make a big difference to our patients whilst receiving care - and also provides funds to support staff wellbeing. Please visit their website to hear more about the great work the Charity does: https://lincolnshirenhscharity.org.uk/
We make sure every penny of funds raised and donated to the charity is spent wisely and makes a difference to local people using NHS services. We must keep topping up the balances and we can only do that through taking the leap and fundraising in any way we can!
The most enjoyable part of the day was the joy we all felt when hitting and exceeding the £5k fundraising target! Experiencing that feeling while taking in the views from the summit of the Peaks was phenomenal. It was a beautiful clear day, and you could see for miles.
For people who are thinking about starting their own fundraising challenge but haven’t made that step yet, definitely have a go! The training itself has helped improve my own physical fitness and I intend to keep it up as I'm really feeling the benefit. There was no feeling of competition between colleagues on the day, as we all recognised our own different ability levels and there was no expectation to push ourselves beyond what is our limit. We all just wanted to do our best for a good cause and enjoy ourselves along the way!
So far, over £6,600 has been raised for Lincolnshire NHS Charity. The fundraising page is open until May 31. To donate please click the link below. www.justgiving.com/campaign/yorkshire3peakslincsnhscharity
The general donation page is open all year round and can be found at: www.justgiving.com/lincolnshire-nhscharity